The Novel's Professor

The moonlight shone—reflecting the deathless sight of the barren and desolate land. No sight of life could be seen within the land, only corruption and desolation.

The once ancient trees transformed into mere ashen husk, covering the lands with rot and terror. And the leaves, which were once shining green, turned rotten and lifeless.

There was no sign or clue of the once lively forest. Only what's left was a barren, desolate sight. Nature was reduced to a mere hollow scenery.

..The frigid wind blew as the droplets of rain dripped from above; the clothes of both the figures standing opposite at each other, fluttered. The silence was eternal. Only the wind could be heard as both figures approached each other in silence.

In the vast landscape of the Harrowing Lands, the two figures stared at each other—both unflinching and determined. Their eyes showed no falter. ...It was as if nothing would stop this battle, this confrontation, from happening.

Not even the appearance of a God would stop this ordained fate. Nor of a colossal dragon, much less a merely strong human.

Nothing would stop it... as destiny itself arranged this confrontation between the two men, both similar and dissimilar to each other.

One way or another. Even if not in the present. They will inevitably meet and confront one another.

That was not an assumption, but a fact.

What one man seeks will inevitably seek back. Like the abyss, if you stare—it will stare back. It was a law that the same people would attract one another, some way that every coincidence would look like an arrangement of fate.

"..Tell you, what?" Aza asked, straightening his back. His gaze never leaving the brown haired man. "What do you wish to know?"

"You know what I want." Rio answered immediately. "... I know you have it. Tell me."

There was no doubt in his voice. It was full of conviction and certainty—because he knew. And he felt it. Even from afar, his desires had already flared.

...Now that he was here, his mind was trembling, his body was convulsing, and the spikes on his back hardening. Everything wildly wanted to move this instant. But he restrained it.

"... I do not know what you mean." Aza chuckled. "Before an answer form itself, there first must be a question. Contrary to my followers thoughts, I am not omniscient. ...Tell me first, what is that you question? What is it that you wish? And what is it that you desire... ?"

Rio opened his mouth, closing it as he struggled to form an answer. ...What did he want to know, really?—before he could think more of the question, his mouth opened itself.

"..What am 'I'? ...Who...am 'I'?" Rio asked, his voice with a tinge of desperation. He continued, "—What is it that... 'I' desire?"

...Right. That was what he wanted to know. Who was he? What was he? What does he wish? What was his purpose? In all of his lifetime, he tried to think of an answer to all those questions.

All the answers he thought of resulted in—Nothing. Nothing, that is. Simply, nothing. There was no other answer. He was...nothing. He had no...identity. That just couldn't be. He couldn't accept that. He couldn't. He just....can't.

To live without joy and fulfillment was a tragedy on its own. But unlike other tragedy, it brought him no sorrow nor grief—only melachonly and vacant emptiness.

In the eyes of a hollow man like him, the world—the universe was dull. Emotions of joy and sorrow had never existed on his body. Only a depthless void of no ending.

Aza stared for a while, his lips curling into a smile. Suddenly, he chuckled, his laughter getting louder and louder each second.

"Hahaha...! Now I know why the divination said we were similar to each other. ...Oh, Rio. Salem, Rio Salem... I finally understand what kind of person you are—I know you. I understand you deeper than anyone else."

Rio's eyes widened, his mind shaking from the man's words. He reached out his hand as he shouted loudly. "Tell me! Tell me then, show me. I want to... know!"

Aza distances his body, making Rio's hand falter in the air. He continued, "I know you more than anyone else. I understand what you feel. That emptiness, that soulless state—I know it very well. I experienced it, survived from it...and found an answer for myself. The answer was so simple, it made me laugh for my ignorance. ...We are the same, Rio Salem."

Rio's body shook, his hand dropping to the air. He raised his head, staring at Aza with a desperate look—'tell me.'.

"The state of emptiness, that soulless state—it is a desolate life of inner death. You continue to live even if inside you're dead. No one would understand it. No one but you. You continue...you thread, hoping, expecting and waiting for a miracle. A fantasy. A magical event that would tie your life to perfection, to happen," Aza said, his hand spreading. "... But miracles do not exist. They are mere fantasy crafted by the frail human mind. There is no ending but death. There is nothing to life but suffering. There is no God watching man. Only devils and their evil. And that..realization...pains you, it gutters you—both your mind and body. That inevitably, you will die...being nothing. And..empty."

"..." Rio remained silent. His eyes staring at Aza. The man was right…in all points, he experience everything he said. His heart throbbed. His desires flared. He was near to his answer—he was close to his revelation.

"But," Aza stopped, his hand reaching out to Rio. "We are the same. I understand you. Accept my hand, hold it. As both empty men, I will help you. Together...we will create a utopia of man. We will bring salvation. Just like how greed came to us both and revitalized our mind and body, all men deserve the same. Come, Rio Salem."

The drops of rain fell to the ground, dampening the land and both two men. Aza's hand reached out to Rio. Rio sighed.

—...Ah, how disappointing. Now he knew who the man was.

Rio silently stared at the man's hand, his body flaring in desire to accept it and join the conquest. He dropped his head, deep in thought. He already has an answer to the man—

The wind blew as the silence stretched. Rio raised his head, staring directly into the man's eyes. He reached out his hand, slapping away the man's hand.

Slap—!

Aza staggered in disbelief, his eyes questioning Rio. Rio merely continued.

"—That's not my answer. ...That's not it. You and....I. We are not the same. Do not fraud yourself to try to understand what I am. Now, tell me. What...is it I want? Who am I? What am...I? You can't... I..am not you, Aza."

..Right, the man's name was Aza. He just realized of it now—especially when the man talked. Even with his insane, chaotic mind. The speech, the monologue and the person were too familiar.

While he was reading the novel, one of the of most memorable character for him was Aza. He understood the character Aza more than any character in the novel. At a certain sense, Aza was like him—

—But alas, Aza...was not him. He was different. Compared to Aza, Rio continued.

"Compared to you, I do not feel joy and ecstasy on the blood of others. I do not feel the state of euphoria you experience on gutting down enemies. I do not experience bliss on the despair of others...neither do I feel pleasure from the bodies of the fallen... Aza. You and...I, are not the same—I am not as shallow as you are."

...Perhaps it was fate, but as much as he liked the character Aza. So as he despised the man throughly with all his heart. The reason after all is—

"—You are but a shallow psychopath," Rio spat out, the spikes on his back hardening as it protruded. Not at all—he was just envious. He hated the fact that even an evil man like Aza found joy, unlike him. "You felt what I feel. You experienced what I experience. But, you do not see...the same world, I see. You are but a psychopath, Aza. Hiding behind the shell of void. But, Aza... you merely touched the surface of the void, while I was sunk in the very bottom."

—I understand you, Aza. But...you can never understand me. No one can. Not even me.

Silence descended between the two. Aza's eyes closed, his brows knitting in anger. He withdrew his hand while biting his lip. He spoke,

"It truly is unfortunate that you think that way. We are the same... both of us are like an empty glass. In my case, I just found something to fill the void in my heart... But, I understand if you think that way— But, what I can't understand is...Must we really fight? You do know everything is meaningless now. I already achieved my goals, only what's left is to spread it to the world. And you already know the answer you desire is not within me... There is nothing to be gained. We are both hollow madmen, engaging in useless asinity. This fight is meaningless. I do not want to kill you while you haven't found your answer yet."

"..You seem to misunderstand," Rio laughed, his voice echoing in the barren land. His lips curled into a mocking smirk. "I already have an answer."

...Right, he already had one. He realized it long ago. He was just too stubborn to accept it. Perhaps that was the difference between his 'humane' self and 'demonized' self.

His humanity would stubbornly cling and make his goal harder, even if there was no ending or answer at all. However, his demonized self, understood one thing. It was that...the answer he sought for was nothing.

That's right, it was nothing.

Aza immediately turned serious, manipulating the magical energy within him. He commanded Rio's body. Applying the skill of greed, he tried to control Rio's body. "Stop!"

However, from Rio's position—a mysterious energy erupted, hovering around his body as it covered him like a cocoon.

This was his revelation. Rio thought, letting the mysterious dark energy cover his body. That's right...this was the answer he had accepted and found.

'He was a fetus on the void.

His flesh was covered by the darkness.

His body had never known warmth.

His mind was enraptured by the blank and vacant hollowness.

He was less of a monster and more of a broken man.'

From the mysterious dark energy, Rio's voice echoed.

"… My emptiness is vast and insatiable. I have no desires, nor dreams. My desire to live ceased long ago, and even the taste of your blood woudn't reignite it… I am a hollow man,"

Suddenly, the mysterious dark energy ignited, enrapturing his whole body completely. From afar, he looked like a bug, trapped in a cocoon—preparing for a metamorphosis.

"Yet, even if I admit it there is no catharsis, no revelation with. No joy, nor sorrow—only melachonly. I'm nothing more than a broken shell."

Rio's voice continued.

"My hands, no matter how long they grow, will never touch anything."

"My body, no matter how it's preserved, will never be able to experience joy."

"My mind and soul, even if they're shattered and played with...will never change their origin of emptiness."

Woosh—! Rumble—!

Suddenly, the earth rumbled—the wind blew harshly. The mysterious dark energy slowly vanished, entering Rio's body. Moments later, the transformation finished. The dark energy was gone.

"I stand here," Rio stood up, the spikes on his back colored of depthless darkness. His pupils, formerly purple, shone of darkness rivaling of the void. He continued, "Accepting what I could never accept. My hollowness."

Crack—! Crack—!

Then something within him shattered. It was his Miracle Core. His Rank C Miracle Core shattered, broken apart as it rebuilt itself—morphing into a different appearance all together.

Unlike the usual colorless white it previously had, this one was a ball of darkness. Within the Miracle Core was boundless darkness with no depth. It was like an infinite vast void—a ball of void.

"You...." Aza muttered, his face frowning. "Ascended to Rank B, The Realm of True Miracles."